088– Sapna Shah of Red Giraffe Advisors – Financing the Future

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Investing in fashion tech…

Sapna Shah (angel investor, retail expert and entrepreneur, and Principal of Red Giraffe Advisors) joins Pavan Bahl, Sapna Shah on FIYB 2 Rob Sanchez and Marc Raco for a lively discussion.

Shah starts with the fake safari story, and then reveals the actual story, of the origins of the Red Giraffe name. A segment of Important Industry News covers Amazon’s sponsoring of men’s fashion shows and their acquisition of fashion companies, along with connecting it with fashion. Is Amazon the new Google even though Amazon builds things itself? Feed the Animals delivers the gluten free best cookies ever but Marc wants steak. All about Shah’s career path, including a tale of her huge jump from working as an associate at The Gap to an executive at Ann Taylor.

Sapna Shah on FIYB 4 A discussion on the value of knowing how the fashion and fashion tech industries work and how to navigate them in order to be able to help clients, what keeps web code from changing quickly on the websites for big brands, the move to single line integration, Rob’s beer strategy to getting things done, how business has changed in the last twenty years, and investment predictions for next twenty, and Shah’s theory of ecommerce and waves of innovation. The reality of 90% of transactions still at brick and mortar store level, whether the pace of change will continue, the need for a battery life solution, the adaptation of beacon technology, the difference between shopping experiences for genders, and a revolutionary idea to distinguish the agenda of shoppers and customize the response experience is created on the show.

Opt-in localized content, what attracts Shah to investments, how she vets possible investable entrepreneurs, what it is like being part of an Angel Group, the process to submit to conglomerate of Angels, how much social impact goals and non profit aims matter, and the pivot of moving to online retail marketplace. And DiCaprio, the Oscars, and Marc is on TV!

Sapna Shah on FIYB 3 Off the Grid Questions reveals a new word, how a gluten-free lifestyle affects navigating through life and the way people regard you and the choices you make, knitting, impulse buys, a bag monster, the Paul Revere backpack, accessorizing accessories, and Gap Kids.